Carrier



March 30, 1965 A. o. RICHARD CARRIER Filed April 22, 1963 INVENTOR lice 0. RICHARD ATTORNEY 3,175,743 CARRER Mine 0. Richard, 700 Richard Ave, Montreal, Quebec, Canada Filed Apr. 22, 1963, Ser. No. 274,681 7 (Ilaims. (63. 224-4245) This invention relates to a collapsible carrier attachment for vehicles, adapted to carry domestic animals.

The prior art discloses various kinds of carriers for this purpose. Most are cumbersome, inconvenient in one respect or the other, or have some other disadvantage.

The applicant has now developed a carrier which overcomes these disadvantages and provides certain positive vadvantages, as will be clear from the following description.

The applicants carrier comprises a rigid rectangular open supporting head frame defining an enclosure and a rigid base suspendably related thereto. The sides of the head frame are made up of separate rigid bars having their ends meeting and overlapping at the corners of the frame and provided with registering connecting orifices. The fastening member extends to the registering holes of the rods at each corner. A flexible tie member is connected to each fastening member and extends downwardly to be connected to the base whereby the base is suspendably related to the head frame. Means is connected to one of the head bars for suspending the frame horizontally on a seat back of a vehicle.

Preferably, the rigid base is made up of a base frame similar in construction to the head frame and a floor rests on the base so that the floor is suspendably related to the head frame. Preferably also, the head frame is provided with a cover which trims the frame and serves as a border on which the animal can rest its paws. Desirably, a flexible wall or walls are provided of textile or other suitable material, which have top and bottom sleeves or loops for receiving the rods of the head and base frames respectively. Desirably, slings are also provided which extend both longitudinally and laterally from the head frame down underneath the base and upwardly at the other side to engage the head frame again. These slings can be of any suitable flexible fabric and are provided with loops through which the head frame rods may be contained.

Preferably, the suspending means includes a bracket rigidly connected to one side of the head frame, it being desirable for two of these brackets to be spaced apart along the head frame and symmetrically arranged. Hingedly' related to this bracket is a bar which is adapted by the hinged relationship to be moved into perpendicular position with respect to the head frame or swung down within the enclosure of the head frame for storage. To the top of this bar there is hingedly connected another bar which extends rearwardly and due to its hinged rela tionship can move between a position perpendicular to the first bar and a position juxtaposed to the first bar. A third bar is hingedly related to the end of the second bar and adapted to be moved outward into perpendicular relationship to it or inward into juxtaposed relationship to it. In this way, an inverted J-shaped connecting member is provided which is rigid in set-up position and can be collapsed for storage.

Having thus generally described the nature of the invention, it will be referred to more specifically, by reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate preferred embodiments and in which FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of this carrier.

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary exploded view of the par-ts at a corner of the head frame.

3,l75,?4i3 Patented Mar. 3%, 1%65 FIGURE 3 is a cross-section along the line 33 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary front elevation of the carrier in collapsed condition.

FIGURE 5 is a top plan view of the floor.

FIGURE 6 is a top plan View of the head frame cover.

FIGURE '7 is a top plan view of the head frame with the cover shown in dotted lines.

FIGURE 8 is a fragmentary side elevation showing particularly the folding construction of the suspending means for the carrier.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the preferred carrier includes a head frame indicated generally by A, a base frame B and a hanging bracket C.

The head frame is made up of four rods 15, i7, 19 and 21 connected at the corners. For the corner connection, the rods are cut away, as best shown in FIGURE 2, to provide bearing faces 15a and Zia on the rods 15 and 21. The ends of the rods are provided with registering bolt-holes 23 and 25. The frame is held together by eyebolts 27 which extend through the registering holes 23 and 25:. A head frame cover 29 is on top of the head frame and is provided at the corners with bolt-holes 31 which also receive the bolts 27. Threaded cap nuts 33 engage the threaded ends of the bolts 27 to clamp the corners of the rods 15, I7, 19 and 21 together and also to clamp the head frame cover 29 on top of the head frame.

The base frame is made up of rods 35, 37, 39 and 41. The rods 35, 37, 39 and 41 are provided with cut-away end parts providing fiat bearing faces a and 41a.

Eyebolts i5 are applied to each corner of the base frame similarly to the bolts 27 on the head frame, so as to hold the base frame together. The shanks of the bolts 45 extend downwardly through corner holes 49 in a floor '51 which rests on the base frame and through corner holes 39 and M in the rods of the base frame. A chain extends between each eyebolt 27 and each eyebolt 45 and thus relates the base frame B hangably to the head frame A.

A fabric wall structure is provided which has elongated top sleeves or loops 61 and bottom pockets 63 which receive the rods of the head frame A and the base frame B respectively. Supporting slings 65 extend from the rod 1% downwardly inside the fabric wall, underneath the base rod 39, underneath the base 51, underneath the front base rod 35 and then up to a connection with the head rod 15.

Likewise, a transversely extending sling 67 extends from the rod 17 down underneath the base rods and floor and up the other side to be connected to the base rod 21. Each of the slings 65 and 67 has loops 65a and 67a at each end which receive the rods as described. The fabric wall structure has cut out portions to make a place for the ends of the slings.

The suspension structure is made up as follows. Spaced-apart brackets 71 are rigidly welded, connected, e.g. to the rear head rod 19 and extend upwardly therefrom. A strap 73 is connected by a hinge 74 to each bracket 73. The hinge 74 is such that the bracket 73 cannot move any further to the rear than perpendicular to the bracket 71, but can be swung forwardly down into the enclosure formed by the head frame A. A strap 75 is hinged to the end of each strap 73 by a hinge 77 and a further strap 79 is hinged to the end of the strap 75 by a hinge 84. The hinge 77 permits the strap to be pulled down against the strap 73 but limits its upward movement to the perpendicular to the strap 73, by the ends of the respective straps 73 and 75 abutting in the pulled out position as shown in FIGURES 1 and 8. Likewise, the strap 79 can be pulled into juxtaposition to the strap 75 but its movement in the rearward direction is limited to the perpendicular to the strap 75. By this construction, the straps 73, 75, and '79 when in set-up position as shown in FIGURE 1, form a rigid inverted J-shaped supporting bracket which can be hung over the back of a car seat so as to retain the head frame A in substantially horizontal position. Since the remaining structure of the carrier is connected to the head frame, the entire carrier is thus hung in substantially horizontal position with the base frame B hung from the head frame A and consequently the floor 51 hung from the head frame A and the wall structure D extending therebetween.

The carrier can be collapsed for carrying or storage by folding the supporting structure, that is, the straps 73, 75 and 79 as described above. And, the base frame and head frame may be juxtaposed with the wall structure collapsed between them as shown in FIGURE 4.

A chain is preferably provided to secure the animal in the carrier. The structure may, for example, be as follows. The head frame is provided with a hole 81 to accommodate an eye 82 to which a chain 83 is connected. A snap hook 85 is provided on the end of the chain 83 for detachable connection with the animals collar.

I claim:

1. A carrier for use in vehicles, comprising, a rigid rectangular open supporting head frame defining an enclosure and a rigid base suspcndably related thereto, the sides of said head frame being made up of separate rigid bars having their ends meeting and overlapping at the corners of the frame and provided with registering holes, a fastening member extending through the registering holes of the rods at each corner, a flexible tie member connected to each fastening member and extending downyvardly to be connected to said base, flexible wall-forming means extending between the head and base frames, said base being suspendably related to the head frame for movement between a storage position in which the head and base frames are close together with the flexible wallforming means collapsed and an in-use position where the respective frames are separated with the flexible walls extending between them, and means connected to one of the head bars for suspending the frame horizontally on the seat back of a vehicle including spaced apart rigid straps each hingedly connected to one of the head bars for movement from an in-use position in which it extends from the bar up the seat back and a storage position where it is folded down within the frame, and collapsible hook means on the other end of the strap to engage over the back of the seat.

2. A carrier, as defined in claim 1, in which said head frame is provided with a rectangular flat cover having corner holes registering with the registering holes in said bars and clamped thereto by said fastening means.

3. A carrier, as defined in claim 1, in which the flexible wall-forming means include flexible fabric walls having loops receiving the head frame bars and extending upwardly therefrom to a connection with said base whereby the walls may be collapsed when the base is juxtaposed with the head frame and extended when the base is suspended from the head frame.

4. A carrier, for use in vehicles, comprising, a rigid rectangular open supporting head frame defining an enclosure, said head frame being made up of separate rigid bars having their ends meeting and overlapping at the corners of the frame and provided with registering holes, a similar base frame made up of separate rigid bars, a fastening member extending through the registering holes of the rods at each corner of the base and head frame respectively, a flexible tie member connecting the respective fastening members of the head and base frames including flexible wall-forming means extending between the head and base frames, the base frame being suspendably related to the-head frame whereby it may be moved from storage position close to the head frame with the flexible Wall-forming means collapsed to an in-use position in which the base frame is removed from the head frame with the flexible wall-forming means extended therebetween, the base frame is suspendably related to the head frame, and means connected to one of the head bars for suspending the frame horizontally on the seatback of a vehicle including spaced apart straps each hingedly connected at one end to one of the head frame bars for movement from an in-use position in which it extends from the bar up the seat back and a storage position where it is folded down within the frame, and collapsible hook means on the other end of the support to engage over the back of the seat.

5. A carrier, as defined in claim 4, in which there are flexible Walls made up of a flexible fabric, having a top loop adapted to receive the bars of the head frame and bottom loops adapted to receive the bars of the base frame, whereby the walls are extended when the head frame is in hanging position and when the frames are brought together into storage position are collapsed.

6. A carrier, as defined in claim 5, in which there are sling members which extend from a connection with the head frame down underneath the base frame and up the other side to a connection with the head frame adapted to support the weight of the base frame and the contents of the carrier from the head frame.

7. A carrier, for use in vehicles, comprising an open supporting head frame defining an enclosure, a base having a floor suspendably related to the head frame, whereby the base may be suspended from the head frame or when the device is collapsed, juxtaposed thereto for storage, a bracket rigidly related to one of the head frame members and extendingupwardly therefrom, a rigid strap hinged to the top end of said bracket for movement from a position perpendicular thereto and parallel to the base frame, a second strap hinged to the first strap and adapted to extend from a position perpendicular to the first strap to a position juxtaposed to said first strap, and a third strap rigidly related to the end of the second strap and adapted to be moved from the position juxtaposed to said second strap to a posit-ion perpendicular thereto, whereby said straps in an extended position form an inverted J-shaped hanger but can be collapsed into juxtaposition to rest within the confines of the head frame.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS HUGO O. SCHULZ, Primary Examiner, 

1. A CARRIER FOR USE IN VEHICLES, COMPRISING, A RIGID RECTANGULAR OPEN SUPPORTING HEAD FRAME DEFINING AN ENCLOSURE AND A RIGID BASE SUSPENDABLY RELATED THERETO, THE SIDES OF SAID HEAD FRAME BEING MADE UP OF SEPARATE RIGID BARS HAVING THEIR ENDS MEETING AND OVERLAPPING AT THE CORNERS OF THE FRAME AND PROVIDED WITH REGISTERING HOLES, A FASTENING MEMBER EXTENDING THROUGH THE REGISTERING HOLES OF THE RODS AT EACH CORNER, A FLEXIBLE TIE MEMBER CONNECTED TO EACH FASTENING MEMBER AND EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY TO BE CONNECTED TO SAID BASE, FLEXIBLE WALL-FORMING MEANS EXTENDING BETWEEN THE HEAD AND BASE FRAMES, SAID BASE BEING SUSPENDABLY RELATED TO THE HEAD FRAME FOR MOVEMENT BETWEEN A STORAGE POSITION IN WHICH THE HEAD AND BASE FRAMES ARE CLOSE TOGETHER WITH THE FLEXIBLE WALLFORMING MEANS COLLAPSED AND AN IN-USE POSITION WHERE THE RESPECTIVE FRAMES ARE SEPARATED WITH THE FLEXIBLE WALLS EXTENDING BETWEEN THEM, AND MEANS CONNECTED TO ONE OF THE HEAD BARS FOR SUSPENDING THE FRAME HORIZONTALLY ON THE SEAT BACK OF A VEHICLE INCLUDING SPACED APART RIGID STRAPS EACH HINGEDLY CONNECTED TO ONE OF THE HEAD BARS FOR MOVEMENT FROM AN IN-USE POSITION IN WHICH IT EXTENDS FROM THE BAR UP THE SEAT BACK AND A STORAGE POSITION WHERE IT IT FOLDED DOWN WITHIN THE FRAME, AND COLLAPSIBLE HOOK MEANS ON THE OTHER END OF THE STRAP TO ENGAGE OVER THE BACK OF THE SEAT. 